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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29762673">photos over the years</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisismyastralprojection/pseuds/thisismyastralprojection'>thisismyastralprojection</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>stay strong for me? [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Gen, photo time baybeee, short snippets of the water fam in a photography studio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:22:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>711</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29762673</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisismyastralprojection/pseuds/thisismyastralprojection</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The water family take family photos in a studio over the years.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Katara &amp; Sokka (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>stay strong for me? [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>broken is my middle name</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>photos over the years</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[A photo of two kids hang on the wall, dust starting to collect around the frames. In it, Katara is laughing at the camera, while Sokka stands next to her, giving her a big hug. Behind them, Kya and Hakoda crouch, arms around their children. 2011. Katara is 7, Sokka is 8.]</p><p>“Okay, smile!”</p><p>Katara flashes a smile at the camera, then blinks aggressively to get the flash out of her eyes. She’s a little tired, since she was woken up so early in the morning. “Are we done yet?”</p><p>There’s a chorus of laughs around the room, and the photographer turns back to Katara. “I promise, just one more and we’ll be done,” He walks over to the set, adjusting a few things before heading back to his camera. “Okay, Kya, Hakoda, could you pose behind them? And Sokka, buddy, stand next to your sister, maybe give her a hug.”</p><p>The family moves into their spots, and Sokka throws his arms around Katara. They smile, and the photographer counts down.</p><p>“Okay, one, two-”</p><p>Sokka leans towards Katara, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Katara shrieks with laughter, moving her hand to wipe her face. “Ewww, Sokka!”</p><p>“ . . . aaand three!”</p><p>
  <em> Click. Flash. </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>[The photo next to that shows three people. In it, Katara and Sokka stare blankly at the camera, their smiles so small you’d think they were frowning. Hakoda stands behind them, grinning at the camera but his eyes are tired, smile not quite reaching his eyes. 2012. Katara is 8, Sokka is 9.]</p><p>“Smile!”</p><p>Katara tries to smile for the camera, but the most she can manage is to turn her frown into a neutral face. Beside her, Sokka smiles slightly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. The photographer sighs, adjusting the lighting.</p><p>“Okay then. Hakoda, move slightly to the right please, and thank you!”</p><p>Hakoda slides to the right silently, standing between where there would normally be 2 adults. This time, there’s only one. The room is silent, until the photographer speaks.</p><p>“One, two-”</p><p>
  <em> “I promise next year, our picture will be even better!” Kya laughs, staring at the newly hung up photo on the wall. “We just have to wait ten more months!” </em>
</p><p>“ . . . aaand three!”</p><p>
  <em> Click. Flash. </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>[A few photos down, after three consecutive years of grey-background photos, this one finally shows four people in it. In it, Katara and Sokka sit on the floor, Hakoda and Bato crouched behind. They’re all laughing, Hakoda’s eyes twinkling like he just told the funniest joke in the world. 2015. Katara is 11, Sokka is 12.]</p><p>“Okay, everybody, smile!”</p><p>The family smiles, and the camera flashes. Again, Katara blinks the flash out of her eyes. The lights were aggressively bright, but at least they were almost done. </p><p>“Alright, last one. Sokka, Katara, could you just take a seat on the floor? Thaaank you! And Bato, slightly to the left please? Okay, okay, let's start.” He moves around the set, checking on the lights before returning to his camera. </p><p>Sokka shifts slightly on the floor, squinting at the camera. He nudges Katara and whispers something in her ear, and the two start laughing. Laughter is contagious, Sokka thinks, as Bato and Hakoda start laughing at something too.</p><p>“One, two-”</p><p>Hakoda and Bato hold hands.</p><p>“ . . . and three!”</p><p>
  <em> Click. Flash. </em>
</p>
<hr/><p>[The last photo on the wall is the biggest. The glass is clean, and the photo is fresh. Hakoda and Bato sit on a couch in the front, while behind them, Katara and Sokka stand. Sokka and Katara have their hands on the couch, while Hakoda and Bato hold hands and smile at each other. 2020. Katara is 16, Sokka is 17.]</p><p>“Smile!”</p><p>Sokka fingerguns at the camera, just before it flashes. Katara laughs, throwing her head back. The photographer sighs, but smiles. </p><p>“Okay, last one. Everyone into the frame, Hakoda and Bato on the couch. Katara, Sokka, on the boxes . . . Yep, okay we’re good.” He checks the lenses before adjusting them.</p><p>The siblings move behind the couch, and stand on boxes placed just out of the camera’s view. Bato holds Hakoda’s hand, and Sokka covers his eyes mockingly. “Ew! PDA!” he says, as the family laughs.</p><p>“One, two-”</p><p>Sokka uncovers his eyes, and turns his smile to the camera.</p><p>“ . . . three!”</p><p>
  <em> Click. Flash. </em>
</p>
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